AI platform reveals top new tastes and ingredients for alcoholic beverages

After analysing data from thousands of flavours and components, GlobalData’s Ai Palette innovation and consumer insights platform identified six that would influence the development of new products in the alcoholic beverage sector in 2025.

Leveraging the world’s largest consumer data lake, with a staggering 61 billion global data points collected in real-time from social media, e-commerce, and foodservice menus, the AI platform delivers powerful insights into emerging flavours and ingredients, as well as category opportunities.

Alice Popple-Connelly, consumer analyst at GlobalData, notes thqt with the alcoholic drinks sector currently navigating significant challenges, including a global trend toward reduced alcohol consumption driven by health concerns, there is fierce competition from alternative beverage categories, and the ongoing impact of universal tariffs on US imports.

“Tempting drinkers with cutting edge innovation or core brand enhancements based upon new flavours and ingredients is essential for category growth,” she says. “For example, ingredient innovation will help brewers maintain their “cross-generational appeal”, especially with Gen Z consumers, and compete with other beverage categories in key consumption occasions such as on-premise and at-home.”

GlobalData’s latest report ‘Emerging Flavors & Ingredients in Alcoholic Beverages’, uses findings from Ai Palette’s Foresight Engine, to identify one standout ingredient for each of six key markets analysed, that is suitable for alcoholic beverages innovation. These include, White Pepper in India, Tahini in the UK, and Valencia Orange in the US.

Each of the six selected ingredients is classified as having “high growth” and “high engagement” based upon consumers interactions with them across social media, retail and restaurant industry sites over recent years – as measured during the review period in March 2025. The report places each ingredient into an ingredient family, provides suggestions on ingredient pairings, and reviews how brands can leverage these ingredients in alcoholic drinks and capitalise on their benefits.

The six emerging flavours and ingredients identified in the report:

1. Tahini – a creamy paste with a slightly bitter undertone made from ground sesame seeds. Common in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and North African cuisines. One promising opportunity for tahini lies in the rapidly growing UK stout segment, which is expected to achieve a 14.2% CAGR from 2020 to 2029, according to GlobalData. Rogue Ales & Spirits has innovatively incorporated the flavours of tahini into its 2022 Santa’s Private Reserve stout, in collaboration with Honey Mama’s.
   Flavour profile: nutty, woody, bitter
   Ingredient pairings: Chocolate, Tangerine, Honey
   Ingredient benefits: strong nutritional profile, creates a creamy texture, subtle neutral colouringRoselle
2. Hibiscus sabdariffa — a plant known for its red calyces, which are often used in herbal teas, health drinks, tonics, jams, jellies, yogurt, lozenges and candies. In recent years, roselle juice has become more popular in functional drinks aimed at hydration, digestion and heart health. It is more widely consumed in the Middle East & Africa as well as the Asia & Australasian markets. In the latter, it’s ‘floral’ flavour ranks among the top five flavours within spirits, making it the highest-ranking region for this flavor in the alcoholic beverages sector, according to GlobalData’s Q1 2024 consumer survey.
   Flavour Profile: floral, fruity, herbal
   Ingredient Pairings: Lime, Lemon, Ginger
   Ingredient Benefits: health functionality, younger generation appeal, attractive colour
3. Valencia Orange
   Is a summer variety of Citrus sinensis, which includes other cultivars such as Cara Cara, blood and navel oranges. The inclusion of Valencia oranges in alcoholic beverages, is both appealing and growing in demand in the United States, where consumers express a preference for sweet flavours in wines, beer and cider.
   Flavour profile: tangy, sweet, bitter
   Ingredient pairings: Cranberry, Honey, Vanilla
   Ingredient benefits: nutritional benefits, regional authenticity, versatility with other flavours
4. Olive Olea Europaea — a small fruit native to the Mediterranean region, prized for its rich flavour and versatility. The inclusion of olives as in ingredient and flavour in alcoholic beverages is up and coming due to its unique taste profile, with South Africa emerging as a key market, reflecting growing consumer demand for natural and healthy products.
   Flavour profile: bitter, nutty, earthy
   Ingredient pairings: Rosemary, Orange, Lemon
   Ingredient benefits: Unique and distinct flavour, rich in healthy fats, digestive health
5. White pepper — often used as a conceptual flavour descriptor rather than a physical ingredient in alcoholic beverages, white pepper is widely utilised in culinary traditions worldwide.
   The appeal of flavours that white pepper can facilitate in alcohol, such as spicy and woody, are appealing to consumers and demand for them is high in the MENA and Asia pacific regions.
   Flavour profile: earthy, fiery, woody
   Ingredient pairings: Peach, Caramel, Agave
   Ingredient benefits: subtle and versatile colour, intensify other flavours, anti-inflammatory properties
6. Finger lime — finger lime (Citrus Australasica) is a unique citrus fruit native to the rainforests of eastern Australia, known for its vibrant flavour and distinctive texture.
   Citrus flavours already holds a strong position in the alcoholic beverage market as an ingredient in spirits such as gin and vodka, making finger lime a promising option in high consuming spirits markets like the UK, and in Australasia where the fruit is produced.
   Flavour profile: Citrus, Floral, Bitter
   Ingredient pairings: Peach, Caramel, Agave
   Ingredient benefits: premiumisation, versatile flavour, novelty

Popple-Connelly adds: “GlobalData’s Ai Palette innovation and consumer insights platform provides key global insights into which ingredients and flavours are emerging in real time, serving as a powerful foundation for brand innovation. Leveraging these emerging ingredients and conceptual flavors allow alcoholic drink brands to target novel, experiential and health-conscious consumers thereby gaining a competitive edge. Each ingredient identified by the platform presents a unique opportunity for innovation across various alcoholic drink categories, empowering brands to confidently explore new possibilities.”

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